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Apple Executive Says Company Cares About Free Speech, But Only To A Certain Extent

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Apple’s senior vice president of internet software and services, Eddy Cue, said Monday the company believes “free speech is important, but we don’t think it’s everything.”

“It’s important for Americans to have debates on certain issues, but we don’t think hate speech from white supremacists is important free speech,” he continued, according to Business Insider.

The Apple executive delved into a number of topics while responding to questions from CNN’s Dylan Byers during an event at the South by Southwest conference in Austin. Perhaps most notably, he discussed what he ostensibly believes is Silicon Valley’s responsibility in dealing with misleading news, app addiction, and other societal effects of technology.

Cue specifically argued that “free speech” isn’t an excuse for tolerating certain content, some subjectively considered nefarious.

While discussing “bomb-making apps,” Cue said the tech giant doesn’t “think that kind of content belongs on our platform.” Same goes for apps that purvey guns.

Apple, however, has stopped short of suspending or banning NRATV from its video streaming platform, while also receiving a considerable amount of flak for its purposeful inaction — as has Amazon, AT&T, Google, and Roku.

Cue said, according to Business Insider, that it’s because the NRA and its TV channel aren’t violating any of the firm’s rules.

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